Refillable bag-on-valve system

ABSTRACT

One embodiment relates to a system including a first bag-on-valve aerosol container including a first valve comprising a first valve stem, and a body having an aperture extending therethrough from a first end of the body to a second end of the body. The aperture is sized to accept the first valve stem at the first end of the body. The aperture is also sized to accept a second valve stem at the second end of the body; the body sized to accept the first valve stem and a second valve stem at the same time. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

BACKGROUND

For certain types of products, an aerosol can is used to deliver theproduct. Aerosol containers may include a variety of configurations,including, for example, piston-in-can and bag-in-can designs. Oneexample of a bag-in-can design includes a flexible bag within a can,wherein the flexible bag has an open end sealingly connected to anaerosol valve. Such a configuration is commonly referred to as abag-on-valve (BOV) design. The product is typically filled into theflexible bag and a propellant (for example, liquid or compressed gas) ispositioned in the can outside of the bag between the bag outer wall andthe inner wall of the can. When the valve is actuated, the force appliedto the bag from the propellant causes the product to be transmittedthrough the valve to the environment outside the can. The can isconfigured so that the propellant remains in the can after the producthas been transmitted through the valve and out of the can.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Certain embodiments of the invention are described with reference to theaccompanying drawing which, for illustrative purposes, are schematic andnot necessarily drawn to scale.

FIG. 1 illustrates a view of a bag-on-valve aerosol container and a bodyused for transmitting a product into or out of the container, inaccordance with certain embodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates a view of portions of two bag-on-valve aerosol cansand a body used for transmitting a product from one can to the othercan, with the body positioned between the cans, in accordance withcertain embodiments.

FIG. 3 illustrates a view of two bag-on-valve aerosol cans and a bodyused for transmitting a product from one can to the other can, with thebody positioned between the cans, in accordance with certainembodiments.

FIGS. 4(A)-4(B) illustrate side cross sectional and top down views ofthe structure of a body used for transmitting a product from onebag-on-valve aerosol can to another bag-on-valve aerosol can, inaccordance with certain embodiments.

FIGS. 5-8 illustrate side cross sectional views of the structure of abody used for transmitting a product from one bag-on-valve aerosol canto another bag-on-valve aerosol can, in accordance with certainembodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Certain embodiments of the present invention relate to devices, systems,and methods used for transmitting a product from one aerosol containerto another container. The aerosol container may in certain embodimentsbe a bag-on-valve container, in which a pressurized gas in a can appliesa pressure to a bag positioned in the can, to force the product out ofthe can when a valve is actuated. Such products may include, but are notlimited to, health and cosmetic formulations, for example, hair careproducts, shaving products, sun protection factor (SPF) products, andskin care products.

FIG. 1 illustrates a bag-on-valve container 10 including a can 12 havinga bag 14 positioned therein. At an end of the container 10 is a valve16, which includes valve stem 18 extending outward. The bag 14 iscoupled to the valve 16 so that a product 20 in the bag 14 can betransmitted through the valve 16 when the valve 16 is opened byactuation. The valve 16 may be actuated by applying a force to the valvestem 18, which acts to open the valve 16. In certain embodiments, theproduct 20 may be selected from hair care products, shaving products,sun protection products, and skin and baby products, cleansers, andother lotions and sprays. Any suitable bag-in-valve container and valvemechanism may be used. Such valve mechanisms may include the use of aspring, such as spring 29 and spring 129, as illustrated, for example,in FIG. 2. Suitable containers and valve mechanisms are available fromSeaquistPerfect Dispensing, of Cary, Ill.

A propellant 22 is positioned in the can 12, to apply a pressure to thebag 14. The propellant 22 may be any suitable propellant, including, butnot limited to, compressed gases and/or liquefied hydrocarbons. FIG. 1illustrates wavy lines 22 to indicate a propellant in gas form. FIG. 1also illustrates that if the propellant is a liquefied hydrocarbon, aquantity of the liquefied hydrocarbon 22′, as indicated by the hatchedline, will also be present in the can. Examples include, but are notlimited to, nitrogen, air, and hydrocarbons. The valve 16 may beactuated by applying a force to the valve stem 18. The container 10 mayalso include an spray top 15 adapted to be removeably coupled to thevalve stem 18, and a cap 11 that fits over the spray top 15. The spraytop 15 permits the user to direct the spray of product towards the sideof the can by applying a force to the spray top 15, which in turntransmits a force to the valve stem 18 to actuate the valve 16 andtransmits the product through the valve stem 18 and the spray top 15.The spray top 15 includes an aperture 19 that follows a path through thespray top 15 that includes a bend that directs the spray of product tothe side.

FIG. 1 also illustrates a body 30 including an aperture 32 extendingtherethrough. The body 30 may be coupled to the valve stem 18 when thespray top 15 is not positioned on the valve stem 18. The body 30 isshaped so that the valve stem 18 can be accepted into the aperture 32.The body 30 may be formed from any suitable material through which a ISproduct such as, for example, a cosmetic product, may flow, including,but not limited to, polymers, metals, ceramics, glass, and compositematerials.

FIG. 2 illustrates the container 10 and body 30 of FIG. 1, together witha second container 110, the second container including a bag 114positioned therein, a valve 116, and a valve stem 118 extending outward,in accordance with certain embodiments. The second container 100 may incertain embodiments be a different size than the first container 10 andcontain a different sized bag 114 therein. As illustrated in FIG. 2, thevalve stem 18 from the container 10 extends into the aperture 32 at alower end 31 of the body 30. The valve stem 118 of the container 110 isaligned to be inserted into the aperture 32 at an upper end 33 of thebody 30.

The aperture 32 extending through the body 30 as illustrated in theembodiment of FIG. 2 has substantially frusto-conical shaped portionsseparated by a cylindrical shaped portion. The aperture 32 extendsupward from the lower end 31 of the body in a frusto-conical manner fora distance into the body 30. The aperture also extends downward from theupper surface 33 in a frusto-conical manner for a distance into the body30. The aperture 32 has its largest diameter where it intersects withthe upper end 33 and the lower end 31 of the body 30. In the embodimentshown in FIG. 2, the frusto-conical shapes extending from each of theends 31, 33 extend a distance of less than one half the length of thebody 30. A central portion of the aperture 32 between the frusto-conicalportions is cylindrical shaped. Other sizes and shapes for the variousportions of the aperture 32 are also possible.

In addition, the second container 110 may include a propellant thatapplies a different pressure to the bag 114 than the pressure applied tothe bag 14 by the propellant in the first container 10. By having adifferent pressure in each of the containers 10, 110, when each iscoupled to the body 30 and actuated, the bag having a higher pressureapplied to it will deliver product to the bag in the other can. When acompressed gas propellant (for example, nitrogen or air) is used, thebag in the can being filled will either be filled to its capacity or befilled until the pressure in each can is equalized. If a liquifiedhydrocarbon propellant (for example, isopentane, isobutene, or dimethylether) is used, a constant pressure is applied to the bag regardless ofthe quantity of product in the can. As a result, when a liquefiedhydrocarbon is used, the bag being filled (the bag with the lowerpressure) will either be filled to its capacity or filled until thesupply can is empty of product. This is because the hydrocarbonpropellant is present in an equilibrium state of liquid and vapor in thecan. In certain embodiments, the propellant in one of the containers 10,110 has a pressure that is about 15 percent to about 150 percent greaterthan the pressure in the other of the containers 10, 110.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment in which a larger container 210delivers product 220 to a smaller container 310 thorough a body 230, inaccordance with certain embodiments. The container 210 includes a bag214 that can hold a greater volume of product than the bag 314 in thecontainer 310. As a result, if one uses up most or all of the contentsin the container 310, it may be refilled using the container 210 and thebody 230. As seen in FIG. 3, when the valves 216 and 316 are eachengaged, the product 220 flows from the bag 214 in can 212 through theaperture 332 in the body 230 to the bag 314 in the can 312. The pressure222 in the can 212 should be sufficient to ensure that a large enoughforce is applied to the bag 214 so that the product can flow through thevalve 216 and the body 230 and into the bag 314 when the valves 216 and316 are actuated. The pressure in the can 312 should be small enough sothat it allows for the product 220 to be delivered into the bag 314, yetbe large enough so that after the bag 314 is filled with product 220,the product 220 will flow through the valve 316 when actuated by theuser.

It should be appreciated that the actual pressure applied to the bag inthe container will vary as the product is delivered into or out of thecan when a compressed gas (e.g. nitrogen, air, etc.) is used as thepropellant. This is because as the bag is emptied of product, the bagwill fold up, thus increasing the volume between the bag and the can. Asthis increased volume is filled with the compressed gas, the pressure onthe bag decreases. When a liquid hydrocarbon propellant is used, thepressure to the bag in the container remains generally constant as theproduct is delivered into or out of the can, because the liquidhydrocarbon propellant is present in the can in an amount to ensureequilibrium state of liquid and vapor. As a result, as the bag isemptied of product and begins to fold up, the increased volume betweenthe bag and the can will be filled with additional vapor from thevolatile hydrocarbon liquid, thus keeping the pressure constant.

As the product is used up, the volume inside the can between the bag andthe interior walls of the can changes as the bag collapses due to thedecreased amount of product therein. As illustrated in FIG. 3, becausethe bag 314 in can 312 of container 310 is almost empty, the bag 314 hasfolded up in the can 312 due to the application of pressure from thepropellant 322. The bag 314 may include a number of fold regions, forexample, fold regions 340, 342. As the bag 314 is filled, these foldregions 340, 342 will unfold and the bag 314 will expand into theinterior of the can 312. In one embodiment using a compressed gas, whena can includes a bag that is substantially empty of product, thepressure on the bag may be about 20 psi. When the bag is substantiallyfilled with product and the volume inside the can between the can andthe bag is decreased, the pressure on the bag may be in the range ofabout 90 psi to 120 psi. Other pressures may also be used. Certainembodiments using hydrocarbon propellants may use lower pressures, forexample, in a range of about 70 psi to about 90 psi. It should beappreciated that different types of products may require differentpressures to be used, depending on factors such as, for example, theviscosity of the product. For example, certain embodiments may utilize aspray pressure of about 35 psi and higher in order to atomize productssuch as hair sprays. Products such as shampoos may utilize a lowerdispensing pressure, for example, about 20 psi and higher.

The body through which the product is transmitted from one container toanother container may have a variety of configurations in addition tothe configuration of the body 30 illustrated in FIGS. 1-3. The bodyitself may take a variety of shapes including, but not limited to,cylindrical. The aperture extending through the body may also have avariety of shapes and angles. FIGS. 4(A) through 8 illustrate examplesof shapes for the aperture extending through a body, in accordance withcertain embodiments.

FIGS. 4(A) and 4(B) illustrate a body 330, including an aperture 332extending therethrough. The height of the body 330 may be separated intoregions P1, P2, and P3 as illustrated in the side cross-sectional viewof FIG. 4(A). Within upper region P1, the aperture 332 has afrusto-conical shape having a larger diameter at the top end 333 of thebody 330. Within central region P2, the aperture 332 has a cylindricalshape. Within lower region P3, the aperture 332 has a frusto-conicalshape having a larger diameter at the bottom end 331 of the body 330.Thus, the aperture 332 includes a cylindrical shaped central interiorregion with frusto-conical shaped regions on either side of the centralinterior region. FIG. 4(B) illustrates a top down view of the body 330.The circles 335, 339 illustrate the diameter of the aperture 332 at thetop surface 333 and in the central region P2.

FIG. 5 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of a body 430, includingan aperture 432 extending therethrough. The aperture 432 includes afrusto-conical portion extending from the top end 433 to a centralregion 438 of the body 430, with a larger diameter at the top end 433.The aperture also includes a frusto-conical portion extending from thebottom end 431 to the central region 438 of the body 430, with a largerdiameter at the bottom end 431. Thus, the aperture in this embodimentincludes only the two frusto-conical portions, which meet in the centralregion 438 of the body 430.

FIG. 6 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of a body 530, includingan aperture 532 extending therethrough. The height of the body 530 maybe separated into regions P1, P2, and P3. Within upper region P1, theaperture 532 has a cylindrical shape. Within central region P2, theaperture 532 has a cylindrical shape with a smaller diameter than thatin region P1. Within lower region P3, the aperture 532 has a cylindricalshape having the same diameter as that in the upper region P1. Thus, theaperture 532 includes a smaller diameter cylindrical shaped centralinterior region with larger diameter cylindrical shaped regions oneither side of the central interior region.

FIG. 7 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of a body 630, includingan aperture 632 extending therethrough. The aperture 632 is cylindricalshaped for its entire length, from the top end 633 to the bottom end 631of the body 630. In this embodiment, the diameter of the cylindricalshaped aperture 632 does not change within the body 630.

FIG. 8 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of a body 730, includingan aperture 732 extending therethrough. The height of the body 730 maybe separated into regions P1, P2, and P3. Within upper region P1, theaperture 732 has a frusto-conical shape having a larger diameter at thetop end 733 of the body 730. Within central region P2, the aperture 732has a cylindrical shape. Within lower region P3, the aperture 732 has afrusto-conical shape having a larger diameter at the bottom end 731 ofthe body 730. Thus, the aperture 732 includes a cylindrical shapedcentral interior region with frusto-conical shaped regions on eitherside of the central region. The frusto-conical shaped portions of theaperture 732 have different diameters at the upper end 733 and lower end731 of the body 730. This allows cans having a wide range of valve stemsizes to be used.

Embodiments may include systems or kits including a body fortransferring a product from one bag-on-valve container to anotherbag-on-valve container, and a bag-on-valve container. Such a system mayinclude, for example, a relatively small container. The user may thenseparately obtain another container, such as a larger volume containercontaining the product, and then refill the smaller container whenneeded. Alternatively, systems or kits may include both a smallcontainer and a large container, together with the body for transferringthe product between containers. Embodiments may also include the bodyalone. As noted above, the body may have a variety of configurations,depending on the specific features of the valves and cans used.

Embodiments may include one or more of the following advantages. First,embodiments permit a container to be reused instead of being discardedafter one use. Second, embodiments provide for improved conveniencebecause a user can, for example, carry a small container with themduring the day and then refill it from a large container (which is keptat home) when necessary. Third, once the user has the small containerand the body for transferring product, then the user can purchase largecontainers used for refill. Purchasing large containers is likely to bemore economical for the user. Fourth, certain embodiments may utilize acompressed gas that is non-volatile, such as nitrogen or air. The use ofsuch gases in an aerosol container is environmentally safe. In onespecific use, a small container including a non-volatile compressed gasmay be suitable for use in an airplane, whereas a container including aliquefied hydrocarbon may not be suitable. Other advantages may also bepresent in various embodiments.

The exact form of embodiments may change depending on factors such asthe size and type of valve used, and the shape of the valve stem and thebottle. For example, while the apertures in certain embodiments arecircular in cross section, other shapes are possible depending on, forexample, the shape of the valve stem used. The sizes and angles of thesurfaces of the body defining the aperture may also be varied from thoseillustrated. In addition, while the bodies in the various configurationsare illustrated as rectangular in cross section, other shapes arepossible. Furthermore, the shape and size of the various components(can, valve, body) may be different from those illustrated. Since theremay be many modifications without departing from the scope of theinvention, the examples set forth herein are not intended to limit theinvention but to illustrate certain aspects of the invention moreclearly.

It will, of course, be understood that modifications of embodiments ofthe present invention, in its various aspects, will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art. The scope of the invention should not be limited bythe particular embodiments described above. In addition, the terms“including”, “comprising”, “having” and variations thereof mean“including, but not limited to”, unless expressly specified otherwise. Alisting of items does not imply that any or all of the items aremutually exclusive, unless expressly specified otherwise. An ordering ofoperations does not necessarily mean that the operations must be carriedout in the listed order. The terms “a”, “an” and “the” mean “one ormore”, unless expressly specified otherwise.

1. A system comprising: a first bag-on-valve aerosol container includinga first valve comprising a first valve stem; and a body including anaperture extending therethrough from a first end of the body to a secondend of the body, the aperture sized to accept the first valve stem atthe first end of the body, the aperture also sized to accept a secondvalve stem at the second end of the body; the body sized to accept thefirst valve stem and a second valve stem at the same time.
 2. The systemof claim 1, further comprising a second bag-on-valve aerosol containerincluding a second valve comprising a second valve stem.
 3. The systemof claim 2, wherein the first aerosol container and the second aerosolcontainer are different sizes.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein theaperture at the first end of the body includes a first width, and theaperture at the second end of the body includes a second width, and thefirst width equals the second width.
 5. The system of claim 1, whereinthe aperture at the first end of the body includes a first width, andthe aperture at the second end of the body includes a second width, andthe first width is different than the second width.
 6. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the aperture includes a first width at the first end ofthe body, a second width at the second end of the body, and a thirdwidth at a central portion of the body, wherein the third width issmaller than the first width and the second width.
 7. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the aperture includes a larger width at the first endof the body than at a central portion of the body, and wherein theaperture includes a larger width at the second end of the body than atthe central portion of the body.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein theaperture includes a frusto-conical shaped portion extending from thefirst end of the body to an interior region of the body spaced away fromthe first end, and wherein the aperture includes a frusto-conical shapedportion extending from the second end of the body to an interior regionof the body spaced away from the second end.
 9. The system of claim 1,wherein the body comprises a cylindrical shape.
 10. The system of claim2, wherein the first aerosol container and the second aerosol containereach contain a product therein, the product selected from the groupconsisting of a shaving gel, a shaving cream, a hair gel, a hair spray,a shampoo, an sun protection product, and a cleansing product.
 11. Amethod for filling a first bag-on-valve aerosol container from a secondbag-on-valve aerosol container, comprising: providing a first containercomprising a bag-on-valve aerosol container, the first containerincluding a first valve stem; providing a second container comprising abag-on-valve aerosol container, the second container including a secondvalve stem; providing a body including an aperture extendingtherethrough from a first end of the body to a second end of the body;positioning the body and the first container so that the valve stem ofthe first container is accepted into the aperture at the first end ofthe body; positioning the body and the second container so that thevalve stem of the second container is accepted into the aperture at thesecond end of the body; and actuating the valve on the first containerand actuating the valve on the second container so that a product istransferred from one of the first container and the second container tothe other of the first container and the second container through thebody.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the actuating the valve on thefirst container and actuating the valve on the second container iscarried out for a time sufficient so that one of (i) equalizing apressure between the first container and the second container, and (ii)filling one of the first container and the second container with theproduct, occurs.
 13. A body adapted to fit first and second bag-on-valveaerosol spray containers at the same time, comprising: a body includingan aperture extending therethrough from a first end of the body to asecond end of the body, the aperture sized to accept a first valve stemfrom a first bag-on-valve aerosol spray container at the first end ofthe body; the aperture also sized to accept a second valve stem from asecond bag-on-valve aerosol spray container at the second end of thebody; and wherein the body is sized to accept the first valve stem fromthe first bag-on-valve aerosol spray container and the second valve stemfrom the second bag-on-valve aerosol container at the same time.
 14. Thebody of claim 13, wherein the aperture at the first end of the bodyincludes a first width, and the aperture at the second end of the bodyincludes a second width, and the first width equals the second width.15. The body of claim 13, wherein the aperture at the first end of thebody includes a first width, and the aperture at the second end of thebody includes a second width, and the first width is different than thesecond width.
 16. The body of claim 13, wherein the body comprises acylindrical shape.
 17. The body of claim 13, wherein the apertureincludes a first width at the first end of the body, a second width atthe second end of the body, and a third width at a central portion ofthe body, wherein the third width is smaller than the first width andthe second width.
 18. The body of claim 13, wherein the apertureincludes a larger width at the first end of the body than at a centralportion of the body, and wherein the aperture includes a larger width atthe second end of the body than at the central portion of the body. 19.The body of claim 13, wherein the aperture includes a frusto-conicalshaped portion extending from the first end of the body to an interiorregion of the body spaced away from the first end, and wherein theaperture includes a frusto-conical shaped portion extending from thesecond end of the body to an interior region of the body spaced awayfrom the second end.
 20. The body of claim 19, wherein the aperturefurther includes a cylindrical shaped portion positioned between thefrusto-conical shaped portions